T&C planned a celebration that focused on the union of their families. Many family members and friends hadn’t seen each other for a year or two, so this was a reunion of sorts. It was important that they had time before and after the celebration to catch-up and talk with everyone. Because of this we tweaked the timeline so that guests showed up well before the ceremony so that the bride and groom had time to connect with everyone.

The couple lived in California, so they hired Evergreen Event Co to be their eyes and ears on the ground. We scouted out the venue, sent over video of a venue tour and created a floorplan. All of our planning was over video chats and we didn’t meet in person until their rehearsal!

The wedding was in May, which can be a risky month for outdoor weddings due to rain and bad weather. Originally, they wanted to have the wedding outside on the lawn in Lake Ballinger Park, but it was quite muddy, so we planned to have the wedding in the Lakeview Room at Lake Ballinger Center. They chose this venue because of the setting, but also because the rental fees go towards supporting the senior center and its programs. It turned out to be a sunny day, so all the pictures could be taken outside and in the park.

C bought a white dress and hand appliqued colorful flowers on the overskirt. The overskirt was removeable, so she had two looks. The groom chose a blue suit with a floral liner to match.

Having a low waste event was important to the couple, so they did their best to borrow and repurpose items that they already had and handmake those that they didn’t. They added DIY artistic elements like hand dying the table runner and ceremony fabrics and handmaking the bowls. The table centerpieces were a bowl of oranges. This doubled as décor and also a guest favor. If there were any left it could be donated to the food bank.

C+T also wanted to add some personalized elements to their decor. T’s family is Japanese, so it was important that they made and displayed the traditional 1000 cranes. They also wanted to incorporate their cat into their celebration, so they decorated the catering table with cat pictures. It was a wonderful way to honor their fur baby.

This couple was very low-key and tasked friends with being the DJ, Officiant and cake baker. As these friends hadn’t been part of a wedding before, I worked with each to make sure that they knew what they were doing. I wrote the Emcee script for the father of the bride, so the event had smooth transitions and a good flow.

Eco-friendly actions that the couple took:

We worked with the venue on a plan to recycle and compost all waste. The venue did not have a commercial compost, but did have a garden club that was able to compost. We made sure that all compost was disposed of in paper leaf bags for the garden club to pick up. The venue also included tables, chairs, a kitchen and a sound system, so the couple didn’t need to rent anything.

Decor was either borrowed from friends and family or handmade.

The flowers were from a local flower farm and the bouquets were arranged by friends.

Plates, napkins and utensils were compostable, cups were recyclable.

The caterer was a mobile pizza oven. There are rarely leftovers because everyone likes pizza, but if there are leftovers they are easy to save and eat later.

“Kiira was our day of coordinator. She was easy to work with, she supported our decisions and had useful suggestions. Her values for a more sustainable wedding aligned with ours. She worked well with our other vendors. We felt like we could rely on her and take a lot of worries off our plate.” C+T